My grandmother called her refrigerator "the frigidaire", and tissues "kleenex".

Though both were brand names, she meant them in the lower-case sense. The brand became the generic.

I can't remember when I first saw a package of "risotto" in the supermarket, but I remember groaning. When did carnaroli and arborio rice lose their identities to the generic?

Carnaroli, a relatively new rice hybridized in the 1950s, grows nearly twice as tall as arborio, making it difficult and expensive to harvest; it's also more expensive to buy, which is one reason arborio (the one that's labeled "risotto") is the rice you find in your regular grocery store. You can find carnaroli at any Italian market, or online from Zingermans or Salumeria Italiana.

In the photo above, carnaroli is the rice on the right, fatter than the long-grain white rice (at left), longer than the bomba rice in the middle. Arborio is white like the carnaroli, fat but slightly shorter.

Classified as a superfino because the grains are longer than 6.4 millimeters, carnaroli can absorb a staggering amount of liquid, swelling to three times its size. High in amylopectin (one of two components of starch), carnaroli produces a very creamy risotto, which is one reason chefs prefer it. The other reason is that it's a bit more forgiving; there is a longer time between when carnaroli is just cooked, and when it morphs into something you'd use to mortar a brick wall.

When you're cooking with short-grain rices, note that the proportion of liquid to rice is approximately 4-to-1, compared to the 2-to-1 ratio for cooking long-grain white rice.

Store arborio or carnaroli in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, for a year or more in a cool, dark part of your pantry. Rice can handle anything except moisture.

Just don't call it "risotto."

Three mushroom risotto

A little bit of tomato paste and thyme accentuate the woodsy quality of the mushrooms. Note: if you use homemade chicken stock, you'll need to add salt when you add the stock to the rice. Serves 4 for main course, 6-8 for appetizer.

Directions

Bring 6 cups of broth (or broth and water) to boil in a large pot and set aside at a simmer on the stove. In a microwave, boil 1 cup water in a glass measuring cup, then add dried mushrooms, and set aside. Heat oil in a large straight-sided sauté pan. Add onion, and sauté until soft. Stir in the rice, making sure to coat each grain, and let toast for 1-2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, and stir in the wine (watch out for splatters). Keep stirring for a few seconds. When the liquid is absorbed, begin adding broth, 1 ladleful at a time, letting each bit of liquid be absorbed.

In the meantime, when the dried mushrooms are soft, strain and reserve the liquid. After 3 cups of broth are added, pour in the mushroom soaking water, being careful to leave behind the sediment in the bottom of the measuring cup. After 5 cups of broth are added, stir in the fresh mushrooms, thyme and tomato paste. Continue adding one more cup of broth, reserving 1/4 cup. Stir until mushrooms have given off their liquid and almost all of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed by the rice.

Remove pan from heat. Add butter and cheese, and stir vigorously for 2 minutes. Add in reserved 1/4 cup broth, if needed to finish cooking the rice. Season to taste with lots of black pepper, and salt if needed, and serve immediately.

In my mind all omelets and risottos are best with mushrooms!
Looks tasty, interesting to see the three rices together.
I haven't seen the carnaroli before, the only medium grain rice I see in our markets are the arborio and calrose.

Did I miss something? What is Bomba? (In Israel it's the name of a puffed snack that they've convinced themselves is healthy because it's made with peanut butter.)
Do you have Ada Boni's Regional Italian Cookbook? That book was how we first got the courage to make risotto (60's? 70's?) and it blew us away -- rich, creamy, full of flavor. Well, I have both carnaroli and arborio in my pantry -- time to get the courage back for this recipe.

Gattina, I never thought much about the difference between the two rices until I tried the same recipe, side by side, one with each rice. Then I saw the difference, especially in creaminess.

Alta, carnaroli is getting easier to find, especially online.

Bellini Valli, which type of rice do you prefer?

TW, risotto is all about the method. Understand the method, and you can make any variation. And the method is easy. It's the recipes for risotto that are scary!

Peter, my second favorite risotto is a saffron risotto with shrimp and asparagus, perhaps because the colors are so gorgeous.

Bridget, thanks. This dish says "Fall" to me.

Natashya, I love eggs and onions with mushrooms, too.

Susan, you didn't miss something -- I did, and I've added the link to "bomba rice" into the post. Bomba is the rice you'd use for paella. It's a very short grain, much stubbier than arborio and definitely shorter than carnaroli. And thanks for the cookbook referral; I don't have it but will look for it at my favorite used/rare cookbook store. (If you ever come down to RI, I'll take you there.)

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Welcome to The Perfect Pantry®

My name is Lydia Walshin. From my tiny kitchen in Boston's South End, I share recipes that use what we keep in our pantries, the usual and not-so-usual ingredients that spice up our lives. Thanks so much for visiting.